ShadowClan Life Before Destruction

[Jingle]

Originally Posted by AbsurdJinx

Onyxpaw listened intently to Halestar, his eyes displaying his interest. Being that he grew up in the Evil Era, he felt he still lived in that time. To him, the warrior code seemed not to exist. He was the son of a leader, and during the Evil Era, he could've gotten away with anything. After all, how would the mother of a tight-knit family during dark times punish her son for doing something her own followers were doing?

He shifted his paws, glancing down at them as he moved. His ears swiveled nonchalantly as he wondered how to go about what he was going to say. Finally, clearing his throat of any blockage, Onyxpaw spoke while looking up at his mentor. ``All those rules were broken during the Evil Era. Why should they still be followed after having failed us? Besides, you said it yourself - sometimes it's necessary for rules to be broken... Though it may be rare, it still happens. Clearly, there's some flaws in our code.`` Onyxpaw flattened his ears, adopting a rather angry look as he spoke of the code he was being forced to follow, but failed to believe. A scowl was featured on his face, and his eyes narrowed with a powerful distaste.

Though Onyxpaw was a genuinely quiet, insecure tomcat, he was not afraid to stand up for the strongest of his beliefs. Onyxpaw continued in a tone of disagreement as he spoke the words straight from his mind, ``Why should I be forced to follow something I cannot believe in?`` Before Halestar could even respond, he spoke again from his mind, but on a slightly different topic. ``And what is it with SkyClan? Why do we welcome them into our forests when they killed my mother? Why did we celebrate the death of such a great leader? Why did you choose me as your apprentice?`` The questions were shot so quickly from him, that he failed to realize he was letting his true thoughts and emotions show. But right now, he needed to let everything out, and get an answer. If he were going to share an honest relationship with Halestar, it was required that the two were truthful with one another - especially early on into their possible mentor-apprentice connection.

Halestar blinked at the young cat- quite surprised by his words and questions. She cleared her throat, her face looking stern at the apprentice. "The code has been with us since the clan's began. Without the code there would be chaos throughout the land- and along with that there wouldn't be four clans." she said, voice harsh. "SkyClan saved us from a rule that was filled with dark thoughts and deaths. Cats went crazy without the code- and many of our kid died. True leaders were pushed out of their homes with force, threatening something they cherished if they ever returned. Without SkyClan, I don't think we would have gained our clan back."

The leader took a small breath, continuing to look at the apprentice. "I am sorry they took your mother from you. Before Bucknight, the Evil Era leader of RiverClan, she was a hardworking and kind warrior. I thought of her as a friend- before she did unspeakable acts to the cats and clans around her. I even considered- if I had become leader sooner- her to be my deputy of choice." she sighed and looked at the younger cat with a look of deep sadness. "If our clan...if the place we called home... wasn't in as grave danger in Blazingnight's rule...we wouldn't have killed her. However, it was in danger and many cat's died under her paw. It was necessary in order to keep the balance of the clans."

"I chose you to be my apprentice because I felt as though...I owed you something. Because of the retaking of ShadowClan, your mother passed and you were left without a mother. With that... I am incredibly sorry. I feel like you deserve to know the truth, Onyxpaw... Your mother was a great leader... but that does not mean she was a good one." Halestar said softly, frowning.

[Zero]

Originally Posted by starfall

the kit let out a startled squeak and glared at the apprentice''just watch where you're stepping'' he snapped, his green orbs flashed with annoyance. Just when he thought hed be able to relax for a bit, it was just his luck. Sugarkit licked his paw that managed to get squished in the excitement. After a few akward moments of just sitting in scilence the young tom clicked his tongue and looked at timepaw with a quizzical glare ''what were you doing anyways?'' he asked ''certianly chores cant be that exciting.'' he stated before he began to clean his curly, snow colored fur. (sorry for shortness, posting with flip phone)

(The shortness is no problem XD Makes it easier to respond to)

Timepaw's green orbs widened as the kitten snapped at him, his heart dropping into his stomach. "I'm sorry." He didn't say anything in response after his apology, not being the type to respond to those who snap at him or are even the tiniest bit rude - which was probably a bit weird for a cat his age. In fact, the apprentice was just about to get up and leave when Sugarkit spoke again, causing Timepaw to stop. "Oh.." He looked back towards the apprentice's den. "I was practing some fighting moves with the other apprentices. I'm a newer apprentice, so I need the practice. I want to make my mentor proud... but my partner was a little bit too experienced for a newbie like me," He admitted easily, chuckling weakly.

[lone]

Originally Posted by Empress Of Evil

[Sorry this is super duper late!]

Silentstar. The name was one that made the owner sound silent but deadly. Silentkit was indeed silent, but deadly really wasn’t the right word to describe him. He was anything but deadly. But then again, hardly any cat could know. He never socialised with anyone else, so no one except for his family could really see what kind of a cat he was. “Bow down and kiss my paws!” Silentkit whisper-shouted, giggling softly. This was the life. Living the kithood that every kit did. The one where they all pretended that they were the leader of ShadowClan. Wasn’t that the ultimate dream of basically every kit? It probably was, except that wasn’t so accurate when it came to Silentkit. The kit had absolutely no intentions on becoming leader. Just look him! He wasn’t anywhere near leader material. He was extremely shy and had a hard to being heard. At least he had the intelligence that a leader should. That was one bonus, but it didn’t much to Silentkit. He didn’t care who was leading ShadowClan as long as they were treating everyone well and didn’t abuse the power. As Ocelotpath lowered his head again, the tom kit clambered off carefully, lying down next to his father. He made sure that there was a small bit of distance between them, after all, he was extremely small compared to him and didn’t want to get squashed.

The territory? His bright blue orbs sparkled with interest at the thought of it. He knew that the territory would be dangerous for a kit, but it sounded like an interesting place. Despite being antisocial and not very adventurous, the idea of venturing into the territory was quite appealing to the tom. It sounded like a fun yet dangerous idea. “Well, no. But I’ve heard all the other kits talking about it!” Silentkit whispered excitedly, his eyes wide as he stared up with interest. What was he going to tell him? Was Ocelotpath going to offer to take him out into the territory? Or was he going to tell him stories about the territory? The first idea sounded more fun than the second, but they were both still exciting. The young cat wondered just how many fathers had taken out their kits into the territory. Surely not many? After all, if the kit were to get hurt in some sort of way, the father would be in heaps of trouble, and that didn’t sound like lots of fun. Being the obedient and quiet kit that he was, Silentkit had never gotten into trouble before. So he didn’t exactly know what the feeling was like, but he wasn’t very sure if he wanted to know.

Quiet? It was quieter than the camp clearing? His eyes widened even more and his ears pricked attentively. “Yes!” Silentkit exclaimed in his usual way, the whisper way. It was normally hard to tempt this kit into doing something that he shouldn’t, but it was extremely easy if you mentioned that it was peaceful. As most would’ve guessed by watching his daily behaviour, he loved the peace and quiet that the world had to offer and would always make the most of it whenever he managed to find some of it. However, he wasn’t always that lucky. With a camp full of cats, it was quite hard to find peace and quiet all the time. “Please dad! Take me out there!” Silentkit pleaded, trying to widen his bright blue hues even more in an attempt to look adorable to the point where it was impossible to refuse anything. It was a smart way of getting something that he wanted. He didn’t do it often, but in times of need or extreme want, he would do it.

Laughing as his young son seemed desperate to get out into the territory, Ocelotpath sat up; compared to the smaller cat, he felt like a mountain. Though Silentkit might be small, the Bengal was sure he would make a good warrior someday. It was funny to think that, perhaps, Silentkit would be just as big as Ocelotpath himself. Someday, Silentkit might be looking down on him; not mentally, but physically. "Alright, alright!" Trying to keep his own excitement on the down-low so that he wouldn't hurt the young tom's ears, the Bengal glanced around before settling back down. His head alone seemed to be the size of the younger kit. "We can go, just... make sure to be careful, okay?" This time, Ocelotpath's voice was serious. He didn't like the thought of something happening to his young kit and the fact that there were predators in the territory didn't make him feel any better.
　
Still, attacks were few and far between, and even more rarely were deaths by predators. Not in ShadowClan, anyways. An expression of doubt flickered over the warrior's features for a moment before he stopped, getting to his paws and looking down at the smaller tom. Still, what could go wrong? Everything would be alright as long as Silentkit chose to listen to him, and was careful about where he set paw. Ocelotpath would be beside him the whole time... still, with Moondancer's recent deranking, he was sure that she couldn't handle something happening to one of their kits. Oh, the Bengal would be glad when they were all apprentices; despite it being hard to see kits grow up, he would feel so much better knowing that they were safe and well with mentors... although, chances were that they could be involved in battles. Already the tom knew he would go to any length to protect his kits.
　
And his mate; Moondancer was a special, one of a kind cat that could never be replaced. He didn't love her any less for her deranking-- she hadn't been deputy when he had first met her, and there was no reason why they shouldn't be able to continue on as they were. He was sure Silentkit wasn't too disappointed about Moondancer's deranking. Ocelotpath would be disappointed if her own children were turning against her because of a misunderstanding by Halestar. He had always supported the leader. But now the Bengal was no longer sure whether she was capable of leading. And yes, of course he was bias; his best friend, and not only that, but his mate had been deranked by the leader! Ocelotpath did not like the realization of that at all. How real it was to him was frustrating, because he cared so much for the Egyptian Mau. "Are you ready?" He asked, glancing at his kit before a spark came into his hues as he turned to head into the territory.

(to the territory?)

[AbsurdJinx]

Originally Posted by Jingle

Halestar blinked at the young cat- quite surprised by his words and questions. She cleared her throat, her face looking stern at the apprentice. "The code has been with us since the clan's began. Without the code there would be chaos throughout the land- and along with that there wouldn't be four clans." she said, voice harsh. "SkyClan saved us from a rule that was filled with dark thoughts and deaths. Cats went crazy without the code- and many of our kid died. True leaders were pushed out of their homes with force, threatening something they cherished if they ever returned. Without SkyClan, I don't think we would have gained our clan back."

The leader took a small breath, continuing to look at the apprentice. "I am sorry they took your mother from you. Before Bucknight, the Evil Era leader of RiverClan, she was a hardworking and kind warrior. I thought of her as a friend- before she did unspeakable acts to the cats and clans around her. I even considered- if I had become leader sooner- her to be my deputy of choice." she sighed and looked at the younger cat with a look of deep sadness. "If our clan...if the place we called home... wasn't in as grave danger in Blazingnight's rule...we wouldn't have killed her. However, it was in danger and many cat's died under her paw. It was necessary in order to keep the balance of the clans."

"I chose you to be my apprentice because I felt as though...I owed you something. Because of the retaking of ShadowClan, your mother passed and you were left without a mother. With that... I am incredibly sorry. I feel like you deserve to know the truth, Onyxpaw... Your mother was a great leader... but that does not mean she was a good one." Halestar said softly, frowning.

Onyxpaw couldn't help but flinch at Halestar's harsh tone, but he swiftly recovered with a mean scowl and a furious lash of his tail - even when she adopted a kinder tone. He lowered his head, his eyes narrowed, and turned it slightly so he now looked away from Halestar, and stared at the ground to the side of them. His whiskers and ears would twitch in a way that gave away what he genuinely felt. He knew Halestar was correct, but he refused to admit it. After all, based off Onyxpaw's own experiences, Blazingnight had been a gentle, loving leader - but that was Blazingnight as a mother, not a leader. However, Onyxpaw continued to believe his mother had been an honest leader.

``No you aren't,`` Onyxpaw growled, his nose wrinkling as he bared his teeth angrily. His ears were folded back. ``You aren't sorry. If you were, SkyClan would not be welcome in these forests.`` He forcefully pressed his paw pads harder against the ground, fighting the urge to unsheathe his claws. He would not attack his mentor, but he would drill his claws into the earth, but he worried Halestar would take his actions as a threatening gesture. ``And-And she was not a bad leader! Cats respected her! And followed in her pawsteps. Cats admired her. She truly was a kind warrior,`` Onyxpaw's voice cracked with grief as he remembered the times he spent at his mother's flank. ``If only... Her position was threatened, and she felt the need to defend it. Don't you feel the need to defend your position? And Blazingnight let cats live freely. If we didn't believe in the code, then we didn't have to follow it. You can't force me into something I simply cannot believe.``

He now glared at Halestar through narrowed eyes, his head lowered close to the ground in a submissive gesture. Though he argued with his mentor, he had to let her know he was no threat, because he wasn't. However, he did not respect her. Onyxpaw huffed, his chest puffing out briefly before falling flat once more. ``Didn't you know mentoring me would be a challenge? Aren't you aware that I blame you for the death of my mother?`` He spoke the harsh words truthfully, his tone of voice laced with genuine honesty. He looked at Halestar as a killer, the cat who made him an orphan, the cat he could not respect.

[AbsurdJinx]

Originally Posted by Jingle

Halestar blinked at the young cat- quite surprised by his words and questions. She cleared her throat, her face looking stern at the apprentice. "The code has been with us since the clan's began. Without the code there would be chaos throughout the land- and along with that there wouldn't be four clans." she said, voice harsh. "SkyClan saved us from a rule that was filled with dark thoughts and deaths. Cats went crazy without the code- and many of our kid died. True leaders were pushed out of their homes with force, threatening something they cherished if they ever returned. Without SkyClan, I don't think we would have gained our clan back."

The leader took a small breath, continuing to look at the apprentice. "I am sorry they took your mother from you. Before Bucknight, the Evil Era leader of RiverClan, she was a hardworking and kind warrior. I thought of her as a friend- before she did unspeakable acts to the cats and clans around her. I even considered- if I had become leader sooner- her to be my deputy of choice." she sighed and looked at the younger cat with a look of deep sadness. "If our clan...if the place we called home... wasn't in as grave danger in Blazingnight's rule...we wouldn't have killed her. However, it was in danger and many cat's died under her paw. It was necessary in order to keep the balance of the clans."

"I chose you to be my apprentice because I felt as though...I owed you something. Because of the retaking of ShadowClan, your mother passed and you were left without a mother. With that... I am incredibly sorry. I feel like you deserve to know the truth, Onyxpaw... Your mother was a great leader... but that does not mean she was a good one." Halestar said softly, frowning.

Onyxpaw couldn't help but flinch at Halestar's harsh tone, but he swiftly recovered with a mean scowl and a furious lash of his tail - even when she adopted a kinder tone. He lowered his head, his eyes narrowed, and turned it slightly so he now looked away from Halestar, and stared at the ground to the side of them. His whiskers and ears would twitch in a way that gave away what he genuinely felt. He knew Halestar was correct, but he refused to admit it. After all, based off Onyxpaw's own experiences, Blazingnight had been a gentle, loving leader - but that was Blazingnight as a mother, not a leader. However, Onyxpaw continued to believe his mother had been an honest leader.

``No you aren't,`` Onyxpaw growled, his nose wrinkling as he bared his teeth angrily. His ears were folded back. ``You aren't sorry. If you were, SkyClan would not be welcome in these forests.`` He forcefully pressed his paw pads harder against the ground, fighting the urge to unsheathe his claws. He would not attack his mentor, but he would drill his claws into the earth, but he worried Halestar would take his actions as a threatening gesture. ``And-And she was not a bad leader! Cats respected her! And followed in her pawsteps. Cats admired her. She truly was a kind warrior,`` Onyxpaw's voice cracked with grief as he remembered the times he spent at his mother's flank. ``If only... Her position was threatened, and she felt the need to defend it. Don't you feel the need to defend your position? And Blazingnight let cats live freely. If we didn't believe in the code, then we didn't have to follow it. You can't force me into something I simply cannot believe.``

He now glared at Halestar through narrowed eyes, his head lowered close to the ground in a submissive gesture. Though he argued with his mentor, he had to let her know he was no threat, because he wasn't. However, he did not respect her. Even if he tried, he could not respect her. He couldn't even fake respect. Onyxpaw huffed, his chest puffing out briefly before falling flat once more. ``Didn't you know mentoring me would be a challenge? Aren't you aware that I blame you for the death of my mother?`` He spoke the harsh words truthfully, his tone of voice laced with genuine honesty. He looked at Halestar as a killer, the cat who made him an orphan, the cat he could not respect.

[graves]

Originally Posted by Jingle

"I will gladly. However, I cannot stay for too long- and I apologise in advance for that." The leader replied, standing up and looking at the younger cat. "I have faith that you will be a wonderful medicine cat, don't let that apprentice get to you." Halestar mewed, flicking her tail in a cheerful way. The leader started out of the den, towards their den to see Autumnpaw and hopefully have a word with the younger cat.

"Its alright, I just want her to know her words have consequences." they didnt want the young feline to think they could spat those hateful words without action being done about something. Daypaw followed the leader outside of the den, giving a curt nod. "Thank you." they werent familiar with showing their gratitude, often coming off as rude at times. But they meant it. They followed Halestar out.
[Go ahead and @ me in the med den?]

[Dust]

Originally Posted by woly

"Trick question, I dont." the brown molly meowed proudly. "I dont coddle my kits like other mothers, I dont deal with their whining and disobedient behavior and let them get away with it," slitted green eyes stared at her kits as they were playing,"they know I dont tolerate it, or them for that matter." the queen never wanted kits actually. She wanted to be the best warrior she could for Shadowclan, and the fact that she was cursed with kits to slow her down made her bitter towards her own kits. They own me something. I gave them the breath to live, Ive done my job. She glanced over to Badgerbite at feeling the tail along her back. She didnt oopose to it, seeing as the other molly hadnt gotten on her nerves yet.

The old warrior nodded slowly, listening quietly as the queen continued. Discipline like that was needed for more than just these two kits, sadly most of the milk drinkers in the clan couldn't discipline a mouse if they tried. Letting her gaze travel over to Swampkit and Barkkit, Badgerbite watched them silently play before she piped up again.

"Why even bother keeping them around?" Badgerbite meowed matter o' factly, sitting up quickly to face Bearsnarl. She was genuinely curious as to why the other would even bother keeping around unwanted kits. These kits clearly had no purpose with in the clan, if they had no purpose to the cat that mothered them. Her head tilted slightly, her gaze adjusted curiously on the other for a brief moment as she waited for an answer.

"You could always make them go away, so why bother keeping them?" Her voice was just barely audible, a hushed whisper, as she was hunched over very close to Bear. Her eyes darted back and forth between the kits and a few other cats littered among the clearing. She felt paranoid even saying it. Maybe this was the guilt and sympathy creeping up her bi-colored pelt?

[goddess of ducks]

@Lonestar23
Galaxykit stepped into the clearing. This time it was slower, a strange air about her that she didn't normally wear. She had turned six moons just two days ago. She was ready to be made into an apprentice. And all the apprentices seemed so mature and sofisticated, so she had to do the same, right?

Normally for her, she was running and jumping around, always wanting to be the first, always wanting to be the fastest, always wanting to win. She liked a good friendly competition, but she knew that sometimes it wasn't welcome. The black-brown Angora gazed around, her dark Aqua hues scanning the area. If now was a time to grow up, then she could prove to them she could be mature than what she normally was. Even if it was just an act.

She honestly didn't care if people saw it was an act or not, but if they saw she could be serious, focused, and mature, then that might increase her chances of getting a good mentor, right? Hopefully so.

[sorry it's kinda short]

[graves]

Originally Posted by Duststorm

The old warrior nodded slowly, listening quietly as the queen continued. Discipline like that was needed for more than just these two kits, sadly most of the milk drinkers in the clan couldn't discipline a mouse if they tried. Letting her gaze travel over to Swampkit and Barkkit, Badgerbite watched them silently play before she piped up again.

"Why even bother keeping them around?" Badgerbite meowed matter o' factly, sitting up quickly to face Bearsnarl. She was genuinely curious as to why the other would even bother keeping around unwanted kits. These kits clearly had no purpose with in the clan, if they had no purpose to the cat that mothered them. Her head tilted slightly, her gaze adjusted curiously on the other for a brief moment as she waited for an answer.

"You could always make them go away, so why bother keeping them?" Her voice was just barely audible, a hushed whisper, as she was hunched over very close to Bear. Her eyes darted back and forth between the kits and a few other cats littered among the clearing. She felt paranoid even saying it. Maybe this was the guilt and sympathy creeping up her bi-colored pelt? [/CENTER]

"Because if I give them to another queen they wont get my way. They are scrawny because they misbehave, though to them it is abuse." she replied curtly, talking as if it were nothing. "Long ago a tom told me I couldnt be a mother, he killed done of my kits," if she had a tail it would be lashing, her paw touching a near by leaf,"so I took his life instead. Im a mother out of vain." her claws dug into the leaf. She hoped Moonstrike was watching from the dark forest right now, the thought of him left a bitter taste in her mouth. "If i gave them up cats would ask me why, I dont want to bother with that."

[Cosmo]

Originally Posted by CandyFlossCat

Rosekit shuttered at the thought of a cruel leader, then stood. "I'm gonna play with Squirrelkit! @Honeycrisp" She said to her mom. "How about... hm.. we could pretend we're high ranks. Who do you want to be?"

Sagegrowl purred as she watched her kit play with Squirrelkit. The white and honey brown molly blinked, thinking of all the energy Rosekit had.